| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Charlemagne | King of Franks from 768 to 814;He united much of France, Germany and northern Italy in one Frankish empire;crowned emperor of the Roman people in 800 |
| Papal States | Territories in central Italy controlled by the pope from 750-1870 |
| Counts | In Charlemagne's empire,chosen officials ruled parts of the empire in his name |
| Navigation | the guidance of ships from place to place |
| Sagas | Long stories,written in early 1200s,about great Icelandic heroes and events |
| Leif Eriksson | Viking who led settlers to the eastern shores of what is now Canada |
| Knights | In medieval Europe,nobles who were members of a lords heavily armored cavalry |
| Fief | A grant land from a lord to a vassal |
| Vassal | In medieval Europe,a person granted land from a lord in return for services |
| Feudal System | A political and social system based on the granting of land in exchange for loyalty,military assistance and other services |
| Fealty | The loyalty owed by a vassal to his feudal lord |
| Manorial System | An economic system in the Middle Ages that was built around large estates called manors |
| Serfs | Peasants who legally bound to their lords land |
| Alfred the Great | King of Wessex from 871 to 899;he defeated the Danish invaders and united Anglo Saxon England under his control. He emplfied a code of laws and promoted learning |
| William the Conqueror | King of England from 1060 to 1087;He was a powerful French noble who conquered England and brought feudalism to England |
| Domesday Book | the written record of English land owners and their property made by order of William the conqueror in 1085-1086 |
| Eleanor of Aquataine | Queen of France and England;she was one of the most women on Europe during the Middle Ages. |
| Magna Carta | A charter agreed to by King John of England that granted nobles certain rights and restricted the king's powers |
| Parliament | the governing body of England |
| Hugh Capet | King of France from 987 to 996;elected by the Frankish nobles to succeed King Louis V,founded the Capetian dynasty,which ruled France for 300 years. |
| Otto the Great | King of Germany and Holy Roman Emperor;he defeated the Magyar army,which ended the Magyar raids in the mid-900s |
| Reconquista | The effort of Christian leaders to drive the Muslims out of Spain,occurring between the 1100s and 1492 |
| Piety | Devotion to one religion |
| Pontificate | Papal term in office |
| Pope Gregory VII | Pope who excommunicated Henry IV,showing that a pope could stand up to the emperor |
| Henry IV | King of France from 1589 to 1610;he issued the Edict of Nantes,which permitted protestant worship,in order to restore peace to France |
Chapter 13